Chrissy~ I'm doing a little better every day...good days & bad days, but just going with the flow for now.
Yes, it is mica, & I took a smallish paint brush (think 1/4") & dipped it in the pot of mica & burnished it on the top of the soap as soon as it was solid enough to do so.
My bows aren't that great, but if you can tie your shoes, you can tie a ribbon. The easiest ones for me are the wired ribbons, because it's just so hard to mess them up. & you can always shape it the way it's supposed to look.
I picked up a couple packs of kraft bags at Michael's today & they're terrific! Folded over the top, punched a couple holes, ran the ribbon through & voila! Pretty packaging & plenty of room for a label!